by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, is aptly
subtitled The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Thats basically
what it is, no less, no more. In fact, if the material were condensed into
one single sentence it might read as follows: In the beginning there was the
MC5; the MC5 begat Iggy Pop and the Stooges; the Stooges begat the Ramones;
the Ramones begat the Sex Pistols, etc.

McNeil, as cofounder of the trailblazing publication Punk Magazine, serves
well as a legitimate authority on the genre. His book consists of first-hand
accounts from some of punks most influential players. The dizzying excesses
of a parade of celebrities are all there for the taking, including Iggy
Pops many tumbles on a stage full of broken glass; Jayne Countys
bone-crushing lurch, with a stage microphone, at the Dictators Handsome
Dick Manitoba; Stiv Bators famous performance at CBGBs, during which he
was fellated by an aspiring cocktail waitress.

Its much to the authors credit that they choose the quasi-documentary
style  otherwise one might have found it hard to believe the material
contained within. The irony is that while the book is quite obviously a
labor of love, it often reveals an indulgent, at times downright pathetic,
squadron of characters. At key moments, you dont know whether to laugh or
get your stomach pumped. Dee Dee Ramones account of Sid Vicious using
soiled water from a public toilet bowl to shoot up with is one such
occasion. "Id seen it all by then," says Dee Dee.

Of course, Dee Dees closet rattles pretty heavily with his own
collection of skeletons. During an aborted attempt at forging a new band
with Stiv Bators in Paris, Dee Dee grew ever more disenchanted with Johnny
Thunders, who was slated to be included in the lineup. Upon discovering his
overcoat in Thunders suitcase, Dee Dee became enraged and subsequently
smashed Thunders guitar to pieces and destroyed his entire wardrobe with a
little help from Drano and a few other household corrosives.

Obliging Fans

The book borrows its title from a T-shirt designed by Richard Hell, who
was then the bass player for Television. Hell is perhaps one of the most
unsung heroes of the punk movement. His groundbreaking work with the
Voidiods  and his debut album, containing the cut "Blank Generation" 
clearly paved the way for others to follow. In fact, its widely speculated
that Malcom Maclaren exported Hells entire image, spiked hair and ripped
clothing, to England for use on his favorite clients, the Sex Pistols.

Hell had written the words "Please Kill Me" on a shirt and included a
graphic of a bulls-eye below it. He then decided it was against his better
judgment to actually wear it  the duty was somehow assumed by Television
guitarist Richard Lloyd. According to Lloyd, "Richard... wouldnt wear it.
So I [did]. These fans gave me this really psychotic look... Then they said,
If thats what you want, well be glad to oblige because were such big
fans!... and I thought, Im not wearing this shirt again."

The History of Rock & Roll

Some of the more outlandish behavior in the book comes by way of Iggy Pop.
Among other things, Iggy was fond of wearing womens evening gowns or nothing
at all in public. His love for substances is well documented, including his
tendency to consume enough Quaaludes to kill a horse and then crawl around
uselessly on-stage before thousands of adoring fans. On one occasion, Iggy
nearly got runover while sprawled out on the parking lot outside a local
truck stop. According to James Grauerholz, Iggy leapt to his feet and
screamed, "You asshole, you almost killed me... you couldve stopped the
history of rock & roll."

As mentioned, the books use of straight quotes work well. Not only does
it lend authenticity to the material but it allows its characters to display
some of their more positive sides. For example, its no surprise that as the
author of some of the greatest rock & roll material ever, such as "Lust For
Life," Iggy Pop proves to be an intelligent, eloquent fellow. However, its
nice to read his words verbatim to confirm the fact. Otherwise we could walk
away with nothing but the picture of him crawling around in a stupor, covered
with blood, bare-assed naked  or clad in the latest evening wear from the
Gloria Vanderbilt collection.